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Journal of Bacteriology, February 2006, p. 1332-1340, Vol. 188, No. 4
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.188.4.1332-1340.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of the Twin-Arginine Translocase Secretion System of Mycobacterium smegmatis

James E. Posey,^1* Thomas M. Shinnick,¹ and Frederick D. Quinn²

Divison of TB Elimination, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30033,¹ Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602²

Received 13 October 2005/ Accepted 23 November 2005

The twin-arginine translocation (TAT) system secretes fully folded proteins that contain a twin-arginine motif within their signal sequence across the cytoplasmic membrane in bacteria. Using a green fluorescent protein fused with a TAT signal sequence, we demonstrated that Mycobacterium smegmatis contains a TAT system. By inactivating individual genes, we showed that three genes (tatA, tatB, and tatC) are required for a functional TAT system in M. smegmatis. The tat mutants exhibited a decreased growth rate and altered colony morphology compared to the parent strain. Comparison of the secreted proteins of the tatC and parent strain by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed an alteration in the secretion of at least five proteins, and one of the major TAT-dependent secreted proteins was identified as ß-lactamase (BlaS). The genome of M. smegmatis was analyzed with the TATFIND program, and 49 putative TAT substrates were identified, including the succinate transporter DctP. Because disruption of the TAT secretion system has a direct effect on the physiology of M. smegmatis and homologs of the TAT proteins are also present in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the TAT secretion system or its substrates may be good candidates for drug or vaccine development.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 1600 Clifton Rd. NE, Bldg. 17, Room 4029, M/S F08, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: (404) 639-1712. Fax:(404) 639-1287. E-mail: jposey{at}cdc.gov.

Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://jb.asm.org/.

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Journal of Bacteriology, February 2006, p. 1332-1340, Vol. 188, No. 4
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.188.4.1332-1340.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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